1,895 research outputs found
Neonatal nursing led research activity in the UK: a survey of current practice
BACKGROUND: Neonatal nurses are ideally placed in practice to undertake research enhancing the care of families. More information is required, however, around neonatal nursing led research to advance leadership in this area. The aim of this study was to determine neonatal nursing led research activity within the UK. METHODS: The study used a web-based survey design and neonatal nurses were eligible if they were working at or towards Masters or Doctoral level qualification in the UK. The survey was distributed to members of the Neonatal Nurses Association, UK Schools of Nursing and shared on social media pages of authors and professional organisations. Results were analysed using descriptive and frequency statistics and content analysis. RESULTS: Of the 56 respondents, 14% (n =â8) had a Doctoral level qualification and 43% (n =â24) of participants held a Masters qualification. Lack of time and funding knowledge was the largest barrier to research. Only 30% (n =â3) of participants had a research mentor and only 18% (n =â3) were from a neonatal nursing background. CONCLUSIONS: There are limited numbers of neonatal nurses undertaking or leading nursing research in the UK. Further support is required to enhance clinical academic career trajectories to ensure research is a viable pathway for future generations of neonatal nurses
The Deep Space Network: A Radio Communications Instrument for Deep Space Exploration
The primary purpose of the Deep Space Network (DSN) is to serve as a communications instrument for deep space exploration, providing communications between the spacecraft and the ground facilities. The uplink communications channel provides instructions or commands to the spacecraft. The downlink communications channel provides command verification and spacecraft engineering and science instrument payload data
Lattice Green's function approach to the solution of the spectrum of an array of quantum dots and its linear conductance
In this paper we derive general relations for the band-structure of an array
of quantum dots and compute its transport properties when connected to two
perfect leads. The exact lattice Green's functions for the perfect array and
with an attached adatom are derived. The expressions for the linear conductance
for the perfect array as well as for the array with a defect are presented. The
calculations are illustrated for a dot made of three atoms. The results derived
here are also the starting point to include the effect of electron-electron and
electron-phonon interactions on the transport properties of quantum dot arrays.
Different derivations of the exact lattice Green's functions are discussed
Association of Infectious Disease Physician Approval of Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter With Appropriateness and Complications
Importance: Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) are frequently used to deliver intravenous antimicrobial therapy. However, inappropriate PICC use may lead to patient harm.
Objective: To evaluate whether infectious disease physician approval prior to PICC placement for intravenous antimicrobials is associated with more appropriate device use and fewer complications.
Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study of 21âŻ653 PICCs placed for a primary indication of intravenous antimicrobial therapy between January 1, 2015, and July 26, 2019, was conducted in 42 hospitals participating in a quality collaborative across Michigan among hospitalized medical patients.
Main Outcomes and Measures: Appropriateness of PICCs was defined according to the Michigan Appropriateness Guide for Intravenous Catheters as a composite measure of (1) single-lumen catheter use, (2) avoiding use of PICCs for 5 days or less, and (3) avoiding use of PICCs for patients with chronic kidney disease (defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate/min/1.73 m2). Complications related to PICCs included catheter occlusion, deep vein thrombosis, and central line-associated bloodstream infection. The association between infectious disease physician approval, device appropriateness, and catheter complications was assessed using multivariable models, adjusted for patient comorbidities and hospital clustering. Results were expressed as odds ratios with 95% CIs.
Results: A total of 21âŻ653 PICCs were placed for intravenous antimicrobials (11âŻ960 PICCs were placed in men [55.2%]; median age, 64.5 years [interquartile range, 53.4-75.4 years]); 10âŻ238 PICCs (47.3%) were approved by an infectious disease physician prior to placement. Compared with PICCs with no documented approval, PICCs with approval by an infectious disease physician were more likely to be appropriately used (72.7% [7446 of 10âŻ238] appropriate with approval vs 45.4% [5180 of 11âŻ415] appropriate without approval; odds ratio, 3.53; 95% CI, 3.29-3.79; Pâ\u3câ.001). Furthermore, approval was associated with lower odds of a PICC-related complication (6.5% [665 of 10âŻ238] with approval vs 11.3% [1292 of 11âŻ415] without approval; odds ratio, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.50-0.61).
Conclusions and Relevance: This cohort study suggests that, when PICCs were placed for intravenous antimicrobial therapy, infectious disease physician approval of PICC insertion was associated with more appropriate device use and fewer complications. Policies aimed at ensuring infectious disease physician approval prior to PICC placement for antimicrobials may improve patient safety
Association between duration of symptoms and severity of disease at first presentation to paediatric rheumatology: results from the Childhood Arthritis Prospective Study
Objectives. To study the association between disease severity at first presentation to paediatric rheumatology (PRh) and length of time since symptom onset in children recruited to the Childhood Arthritis Prospective Study
Sensitive methods for estimating the anchoring strength of nematic liquid crystals on Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers of fatty acids
The anchoring of the nematic liquid crystal
N-(p-methoxybenzylidene)-p-butylaniline (MBBA) on Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers
of fatty acids (COOHCH) was studied as a function of the length
of the fatty acid alkyl chains, (). The monolayers were
deposited onto ITO-coated glass plates which were used to assemble sandwich
cells of various thickness that were filled with MBBA in the nematic phase. The
mechanism of relaxation from the flow-induced quasi-planar to the
surface-induced homeotropic alignment was studied for the four decreases
linearly with increasing the length of the alkyl chains which suggests that
the Langmuir-Blodgett film plays a role in the phenomenon. This fact was
confirmed by a sensitive estimation of the anchoring strength of MBBA on the
fatty acid monolayers after anchoring breaking which takes place at the
transition between two electric-field--induced turbulent states, denoted as
DSM1 and DSM2. It was found that the threshold electric field for the anchoring
breaking, which can be considered as a measure of the anchoring strength, also
decreases linearly as increases. Both methods thus possess a high
sensitivity in resolving small differences in anchoring strength. In cells
coated with mixed Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers of two fatty acids ( and
) a maximum of the relaxation speed was observed when the two acids were
present in equal amount. This observation homeotropic cells by changing the
ratio between the components of the surfactant film.Comment: LaTeX article, 20 pages, 15 figures, 17 EPS files. 1 figure added,
references moved. Submitted to Phys. Rev.
A Very Sensitive 21cm Survey for Galactic High-Velocity HI
Very sensitive HI 21cm observations have been made in 860 directions at dec
>= -43deg in search of weak, Galactic, high-velocity HI emission lines at
moderate and high Galactic latitudes. One-third of the observations were made
toward extragalactic objects. The median 4-sigma detection level is NHI =
8x10^{17} cm^-2 over the 21' telescope beam. High-velocity HI emission is
detected in 37% of the directions; about half of the lines could not have been
seen in previous surveys. The median FWHM of detected lines is 30.3 km/s. High-
velocity HI lines are seen down to the sensitivity limit of the survey implying
that there are likely lines at still lower values of NHI. The weakest lines
have a kinematics and distribution on the sky similar to that of the strong
lines, and thus do not appear to be a new population. Most of the emission
originates from objects which are extended over several degrees; few appear to
be compact sources. At least 75%, and possibly as many as 90%, of the lines are
associated with one of the major high-velocity complexes. The Magellanic Stream
extends at least 10 deg to higher Galactic latitude than previously thought and
is more extended in longitude as well. Although there are many lines with low
column density, their numbers do not increase as rapidly as NHI^-1, so most of
the HI mass in the high-velocity cloud phenomenon likely resides in the more
prominent clouds. The bright HI features may be mere clumps within larger
structures, and not independent objects.Comment: 88 pages includes 22 figures Accepted for Publication in ApJ Suppl.
June 200
'Write when it hurts. Then write till it doesn't': athlete voice and the lived realities of one female professional athlete
Digital media has played a central role in promoting womenâs sport, where female athletes are increasingly using online platforms to control their own representations and challenge male dominated sporting institutions. Alternatively, some commentators claim that female athletesâ use of digital media contributes to patriarchal practices in sport, where through self-promotion and image building they do little to advance representations of womenâs sport. This paper interrogates these ideas, adopting a postfeminist sensibility and collaborative research approach to examine the online self-representations of a female athlete and blogger. The athlete in question is Meghan MacLaren, a professional golfer on the Ladiesâ European Tour who documents her life as a professional athlete through her online blog. Primarily, the authors present a critical analysis of MacLarenâs blog posts over a period of three years, from MacLaren turning professional to the present day. This initial analysis prompted a series of questions around MacLarenâs blogging and self-representations, which the authors then posed directly to her, and Meghan was invited to respond in her own voice. Using a collaborative approach with MacLaren as co-author, this paper seeks to draw attention to the diverging realities of a female professional athlete fulfilling dichotomous identities as a simultaneously trusting and doubting golf performer on the course and a self-appointed athlete activist online, all the while operating in, and influenced by the patriarchal and capitalist cultural environment of golf
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